I guess most of us here own normal tanks, but does anyone actually have a pond where they've had bettas breed naturally? I've seen lots of people with koi ponds, which led me to wonder if anyone has a betta pond.

My grandparents have a small artificial lake in their ranch, and when they filled it with fish (I forgot what kind), they needed more than a thousand as far as I remember.

So, for the sake of curiosity (since I don't have a pond), how many bettas are needed per cubic meter/foot? And what should the male to female ratio be?

EDIT: I just realized I wrote "betas" instead of "bettas" on the title >___>

Anyways, I do not think there really is a set ratio... Example: If I had a 35 gallon pond (the one you can set up and take down) I'd shove it full of live plants with soil/sand, add in some snails here and there, and would probably place 2-3 males and probably 10 or more females. Depends on the shape, size, and what natural stuff I could stick in there :3 (driftwood, rocks, etc). Personally I think it would be a preference teamed with the set up.

Do you think 35 gallons would be enough for them to naturally breed though? I have a 10 gal tank, and if I imagine something about 3.5 times its size, it still seems a bit small to me for them to naturally breed.

My grow out tanks for juvies are 30g.. 35 isn't all that big. I'm sure a pair may breed in it (full to the top is pretty high for them.. the male would have a lot of trouble keeping up with falling eggs/fry.. and then from the one spawn it would easily be too many bettas for that size (gallon wise). If shallow then you have to deal with dropping temps on cool nights which can kill all the bettas in a single night.

IMO 35 gallons is not nearly enough for what Sena had mentioned, or for more than 1 male to be placed in there.. imagine a 35g tank, sorta big, but not all that big in reality.. since naturally a single male betta's natural territory tends to be 3ft x 3ftsq.

True.. was wondering because I know you know your stuff! I just worry about the temp fluctuations more than anything, personally.. if living in the Asian countries it wouldn't be bad.. but in the US? Everywhere there are big drops in temps throughout the year.. I know some people use drums and such outside with their bettas, unsure how they keep them warm - something Oldfishlady may be able to tell ya..

Well, I recently moved to a hot city in Mexico, but even here the temperatures drop at night. It's not bad indoors, but if the pond was kept outdoors, I'm sure it would be harsh for the fish. After all, "hot" is not the same as "tropical" (the best example would be the deserts, with their huge temperature drops at night).

67 gallons seems more plausible, yes.

But is 35 gal really not big enough for two male bettas? I remember meeting someone who had two males (and like 4 females) in a 15 gal talk without problems. He did mention that his males were pretty tame, so I guess it was more of an "exception".

Two males and 4 females in a 15 gallon, no way! I wouldn't risk that. I used 35 since it was the only thing that came to mind xD I am also thinking of a LONGER pond rather than rounded, or square. I think I should've meant 50 xD

For outdoor, (I wanted to do growouts outdoor) the most I would worry about is the fluctuations in temperature. Predators depends where you live and where you put it... Having a cover on it might help. I don't know. OFL may know more about this anyways.

Depends really on the size of pond you want to go for... I'd get a pond heater and pump, if anything. Not sure if they have pond heaters xD Ponds are usually used for cold water fish.